Groepsportret van Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen (links), Corrie en Els Bakker en baby Klaas Kleiterp op een galerij aan het Waterlooplein in Batavia Possibly 1921 - 1926

Here is a family, captured on film, sometime in the early 20th century by Klaas Kleiterp. It's a photograph, a staged moment, but it also feels like a study of light and shadow. I wonder what it was like for Kleiterp to frame this shot, to decide on the composition, and to capture the stillness of his family. The light seems to soften their features, almost blending their presence with the scene. The surface of the photograph itself, with its particular grain and tone, contributes to the overall mood, a mood of quiet contemplation. You can see how the light dapples across the floor, and the white dresses worn by the subjects. The photograph, like any painting, is also a form of expression that embraces ambiguity. It allows for multiple readings, for a conversation between the artist, the subject, and us, the viewers. We're all in conversation with each other, across time, inspiring each other's creativity.